REDMOND, OR -- Redmond Schools will roll out a new program this fall, in an effort to better meet the needs of students with behavioral problems.

Karen Mitchell is the program supervisor at Edwin Brown Education Center. She says "StepUp" will provide flexible services, "We wanted to look at how can we better support our students, with what's going on in their lives - socially and emotionally - that causes the behaviors. Because it's not 'what's wrong' with the kids, it's what happened to the kid; so that we can help them better themselves and be able to then be successful in society." According to Mitchell, a team approach helps determine the appropriate services for each student, instead of applying a one-size-fits-all solution.

She tells KBND News, last year's pilot program was very successful, "We had some students that were not only at Brown, but also at their home campus with support from our staff. And, they were very successful. We started the year with one class, then added classes and by the end of the year they were half-time on each campus."

StepUp encompasses the district's Transition program, Expulsion program and Behavior-Emotional-Social Support program. Mitchell says those kids need a tailored approach to their education, "Sometimes, they're just not ready to be on their home campus, or they're ready for a blend - and that's where this allows us to be a lot more flexible in that. Previously, it was either you were with us or not, or you were half and half, but there was no blending. For example,we might have a student only accessing StepUp for an hour a day."

While the facility will continue to be known as the Edwin Brown Education Center, the overall program name is now called "StepUp," with a theme of #be, which Mitchell says represents their core values: Be brave, be amazing, be inspiring, be unstoppable and be the difference.